Meet Our Summer Interns: Brittany Kirvan

Posted on 11. Aug, 2011 by

This summer we have seven new additions to our PMG family! Our interns are special to us, that’s why we want to feature them in our blog. Each week we will add a profile of an intern so you can get a sense of who they are and what they are doing here at PMG. Feel free to ask them questions and leave feedback. These interns are ready and excited to share what they have learned so far!

Editors note: This is the last profile in our series of intern profiles.

 

PMGer: Brittany Kirvan

On Twitter: @brittanykirv

Position at PMG: Intern with PMG associate Elizabeth Hagwood 

Background?  I graduated from Champlain College in May with a B.S. in Mass Communications.  Shortly before graduation I decided that I was going to continue to live in Burlington; it is beautiful up here and Vermont is such a unique place.

I am a huge foodie—and so is Vermont.  One of my goals is to own a restaurant and a bakery.  I have so many ideas surrounding my dream: menus, décor, names, events, mental images, etc.  This venture is far down the road but I have not given up.

Why are you doing this internship? As a recent graduate I need to continue to expand my experiences outside of the classroom.  Studying communications gives you a broad understanding of all of the fields within communications itself.  But that’s just it: a broad understanding.  The best way to learn what any career is like is to dive in headfirst.  That is how I ended up at PMG—I wanted to learn more about public relations and what it is actually like to work in it.

What do you expect to gain from this internship? I have been experiencing what it really means to work in public relations.  There is so much you can learn about from a textbook but it is a whole different story when applying the techniques you read about to real life situations.

What have you learned so far? Oh, the Things I Have Learned:

  • How to create killer media lists
  • Writing pitches that are short, sweet, and attention grabbing
  • Follow-ups are just as (and usually more) important than the initial pitch
  • And much more of course…

Interning at PMG has also taught me that not every “nine-to-five” job is so conventional.  I used to imagine that working a job, Monday to Friday, at the same time every day would drive me insane.  This has proven to be a complete misconception.  Everyone at PMG seems to really enjoy the work they are doing, and, while they are very serious about what they do, they have a lot of fun doing it.

What’s it like working with your mentor? Working with Elizabeth is great!  Among many other things, she has given me some very great tips on how to improve pitches and follow ups to be more eye-catching.  Luckily Elizabeth is a foodie, too; often we are exchanging recipe ideas and helpful tips for the kitchen.

Do you have any tips for future interns on PR, writing press releases, pitches, etc.? Pitches need to be short, sweet, and catchy, but they need to answer the essential questions before they are asked (think who, what, where, when, why!). Also, reread your pitches over and over before sending them out—don’t be afraid to read them out loud to make sure you’re not missing anything.

Don’t be discouraged if you do not get immediate responses from your pitches—you are going to need to send out a round (or four) of follow-ups.  Depending on the timeliness of your pitch you may need to do multiple follow-ups over a few weeks or even over a few months to stay on top of the radar.

Don’t forget to have fun but take your internship seriously!

Meet Our Summer Interns: Thomas Renner

Posted on 11. Aug, 2011 by

This summer we have seven new additions to our PMG family! Our interns are special to us, that’s why we want to feature them in our blog. Each week we will add a profile of an intern so you can get a sense of who they are and what they are doing here at PMG. Feel free to ask them questions and leave feedback. These interns are ready and excited to share what they have learned so far!

PMGer: Thomas Renner

On Twitter: @tarenner

Position at PMG: Intern with PMG associate Kristena Morse

Why are you doing this internship? Half way through my first semester of my freshman year I realized that if I ever was going to conquer the PR world I would need to get some out of school training as soon as possible. Also given the current job market and the fact that you need experience to get any good PR job I thought it would be a perfect time to start building my résumé.

What do you expect to gain from this internship? So far I have already learned so much from my mentor Kristena Morse and from other PMGers. I hope to gain more knowledge about the business, the ins and outs of dealing with clients and the press. I am really hoping that after my time at PMG I will have gained all the experience I am going to need to land an awesome PR job.

What are your views on PMG? I love PMG, I really do, everything that they stand for, the people who work for them, the clients. The atmosphere at PMG is the best I have ever experienced in a place of work. I think the way the firm has decided to specialize in certain areas instead of trying to take on everything has really led to the success of PMG. I love coming into the office to work and actually miss not being there when I am not scheduled! PMG is a great place to intern and work. Being an intern at PMG is just like being a member of the team, and I think that is part of what has made my experience so great, I am actually working on accounts not doing coffee runs!

What’s it like working with your mentor? I love working with my mentor. Kristena has a great personality and always is  very understanding, it also helps that she has some cool clients. I do not believe that my experience at PMG would be the same without my mentor, the direct guidance and information that I receive from her is key to the success that I achieve and my learning path.

Do you have any tips for future interns on PR, writing press releases, pitches, etc.? At first writing a good pitch even a good subject line can be difficult. Even when you think you have written the perfect pitch there still could be something wrong with it. Those are the times when you will end up going back and forth with your mentor to try to fine tune the pitch. Although it may feel like you have not accomplished anything it is all a learning process.

Meet Our Summer Interns: Brittany Southwick

Posted on 10. Aug, 2011 by

This summer we have seven new additions to our PMG family! Our interns are special to us, that’s why we want to feature them in our blog. Each week we will add a profile of an intern so you can get a sense of who they are and what they are doing here at PMG. Feel free to ask them questions and leave feedback. These interns are ready and excited to share what they have learned so far!

PMGer: Brittany Southwick

On Twitter: @brittsouth

Position at PMG: Intern with PMG associate Tom Kupfer

Background? My name is Brittany.  I am a Public Relations Major with one semester left at Champlain College.

Why are you doing this internship? After completing three years of my education with Champlain College I was anxious to put my knowledge to the test. I enjoy a professional work environment and felt that I was ready to step into the industry. I want to build my resume and strengthen my portfolio. A textbook can only take you so far; working in the field is a great opportunity.

What do you expect to gain from this internship? I have expected to strengthen my writing and organizational skills. I also think I am going to get a pretty good idea of what it is like to work for a firm and focus solely on Public Relations, without Marketing or Advertising thrown in the mix.

What are your views on PMG? I was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with PMG. I am proud to represent a company that represents socially responsible businesses.  My one concern for working in the PR field is having to represent clients with view points that are different from my own. PMG makes that dilemma easy by eliminating the challenge and providing a variety of clients that stand for great causes.

What’s it like working with your mentor? I thoroughly enjoy working for Tom because he provides great direction and has a wide array of knowledge to share. He has helped me strengthen my pitching skills and has a great sense of humor to make the experience more enjoyable.

Do you have any tips for future interns on PR, writing press releases, pitches, etc.? My advice would be to just dive in. Take advantage of every opportunity; get to know your co-workers and the people that you work with. Everyone you meet is a potential contact and Public Relations is about establishing and maintaining good relationships.  As far as writing press releases and pitches: edit, edit, edit. Explore your creativity and all of the different ways you can tell a story. My greatest challenge has been to come up with numerous ways to pitch one story. With the help of my mentor, towards the end of my internship I have definitely seen a growth in my ability to push my pitching further creatively.

Meet Our Summer Interns: Hilary Greene

Posted on 29. Jul, 2011 by

This summer we have seven new additions to our PMG family! Our interns are special to us, that’s why we want to feature them in our blog. Each week we will add a profile of an intern so you can get a sense of who they are and what they are doing here at PMG. Feel free to ask them questions and leave feedback. These interns are ready and excited to share what they have learned so far!

PMGer: Hilary Greene

On Twitter: @hilaryfay

Position at PMG: Intern with PMG associate Iza Socha

Background? My name is Hilary Greene and I am entering my last semester at Champlain College to attain a business/marketing degree. I am a transfer student and have spent most of my college years in Colorado and Utah enjoying the outdoors.

Why are you doing this internship? I am thrilled to have the opportunity to do my internship at PMG this summer to gain first-hand experience that will compliment my current marketing program at Champlain College, which I will complete in December of this year!

What do you expect to gain from this internship? This internship has already provided me with a better understanding of the public relations world; I have little PR background since I am a marketing major. In addition, this internship has allowed me to witness the power of using social media tools as marketing and PR techniques and the outstanding benefits that they can provide for many different types of companies.

What are your views on PMG? PMG, People Making Good, is a great company and I could not be happier about doing my internship here. Their name, PMG, tells all…they truly are, good people – making good. (They might as well change their name to G-PMG!) As a Vermonter, I appreciate the work that they contribute to the community and genuine support of their clients that are socially responsible.

What have you learned so far? Thus far, I have learned a lot of new things and have been able to apply my education from Champlain in a professional environment. Some exciting projects that I have been involved with at PMG include;

  • Organizing a Tweet-Up
  • Drafting Twitter messaging
  • Writing editorial calendars
  • Editing video footage
  • Writing a variety of blog posts using WordPress
  • And; researching different brands, markets and trends

What’s it like working with your mentor? My mentor, Iza Socha, is fantastic and is the Social Media Manager at PMG. She is very talented and open to sharing new concepts with me; she knows all the new trends! It is really fun working with her and she guides me in the right direction to complete finished work that both of us are proud of.

Do you have any tips for future interns on PR, writing press releases, pitches, etc.? My advice for any intern would be to be fully appreciative of the opportunity and learn as much as you can! It helps to stay knowledgeable about new trends because these days, it seems like techniques and applications change and improve constantly.

Meet Our Summer Interns: Heather Barrett

Posted on 15. Jul, 2011 by

This summer we have seven new additions to our PMG family! Our interns are special to us, that’s why we want to feature them in our blog. Each week we will add a profile of an intern so you can get a sense of who they are and what they are doing here at PMG. Feel free to ask them questions and leave feedback. These interns are ready and excited to share what they have learned so far!

 

PMGer: Heather Barrett

On Twitter: @hbarrettsays

Position at PMG: Intern with PMG associate Tom Kupfer

Background? My name is Heather.  I am a Mass Communications major entering my last semester at Champlain College.

Why are you doing this internship? As a Mass Communication student, I have taken a variety of courses in marketing, advertising, and public relations.  These courses have provided me with the base knowledge in each section, but I found myself wanting a hands-on experience.  With an internship, I knew that I would learn more than I ever could in a classroom, and that the knowledge would be invaluable.

What do you expect to gain from this internship? From this experience, I expect to learn more about working for a public relations agency.  Working for more than one client, I expect to learn a variety of tools to better fine tune public relations to work for each individual company.  In addition, I expect to improve my writing skills.

What are your views on PMG? I was first attracted to PMG because they are devoted to working with socially responsible clients.  I also read the Q&A with Nicole and Ken before I applied, and I thought that my personal interests would connect with PMG.  After starting my internship in June, my impressions of PMG proved to be true.  PMGer’s are all extremely hard-working people who have a passion for public relations. I also really like having an office dog ☺.

What’s it like working with your mentor? At PMG part of the internship experience is to work hands on.  So, instead of fetching coffee for Tom, I have been able to create media lists, write pitches, and follow up directly with media outlets.  Tom always has a clear vision as to what needs to be completed, and is willing to provide valuable feedback.

Do you have any tips for future interns on PR, writing press releases, pitches, etc.?

  • Always work hard and do your best.
  • Remember that writing is a skill that takes a lot of practice.  A first draft will need to be edited, so be open to feedback!
  • Your mentors are busy, so it may seem intimidating to ask them for help, but don’t be afraid.  That’s what they’re here for! Pester away.

Meet Our Summer Interns: Selma Basic

Posted on 06. Jul, 2011 by

Meet Our Summer Interns: Selma Basic

This summer we have seven new additions to our PMG family! Our interns are special to us, that’s why we want to feature them in our blog. Each week we will add a profile of an intern so you can get a sense of who they are and what they are doing here at PMG. Feel free to ask them questions and leave feedback. These interns are ready and excited to share what they have learned so far!

PMGer: Selma Basic
On Twitter: @Selmander89
Position at PMG: Intern with PMG co-founder Nicole Ravlin

Background? My name is Selma Basic. I am a senior at the New England School of Communications (NESCom), located in beautiful Bangor, Maine. I am working on my Bachelors degree in communications with a concentration in Marketing. I chose the communications field because I get a chance to exercise many different aspects of the field, such as: advertising, marketing, public relations, graphic design, photography,  and video production – over the years at Nescom I have gained skills in all these fields. When I was asked to intern at PMG I was excited to be granted with an opportunity to increase my knowledge of public relations.

Why are you doing this internship? Last semester I joined the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), this organizations has really sparked my interested in the public relations field. Hence why I’m here! PMG is the hands on experience I’ve been looking for. From day one I dove right into writing press releases and doing media lists. PMG is giving me the opportunity to challenge myself and put my skills to the test! This is no internship where you run around fetching coffee and donuts for your boss… At PMG you do real work for real clients!

What do you expect to gain from this internship? By doing this internship I am gaining a variety of skills in public relations, which will help me continue to do well in PRSSA and eventually my career.  Is public relations the job for me? That’s what I’m here for to find out! I definitely have a passion for writing and PR is something I’ve always wanted to give a try.

What are your views on PMG? PMG stands for People Making Good, which is the first reason I wanted to know more about this firm. I like and respect the philosophy of helping promote healthy brands. PMG is an exceptionally comfortable environment where I feel free to be myself and express my skills. PMG is doing good things for good companies and I want to be a part of that.

What’s it like working with your mentor? Here at PMG I am surrounded by wonderful people. My mentor, Nicole Ravlin, being one of them. Nicole is super friendly, outgoing and most importantly, has a sense of humor. What’s a workplace when it’s strictly business 24/7? It’s no fun! Here at PMG we get our work done but we also know how to relax and enjoy ourselves; I personally find that extremely important in a work environment. As for working with Nicole, it’s great to have a mentor help you out! She always makes sure I know exactly what to do, she gives me some great advice on how to improve my work and she lets me enjoy some variety in the tasks I do.

Do you have any tips for future interns on PR, writing press releases, pitches, etc.? Future interns! If you are looking for an internship in public relations and you are within the Burlington area, I would definitely recommend PMG. So far I have written press releases, pitches, done plenty of media lists and am currently working on social media. Be aware that PR requires a little bit of everything I just mentioned. So prepare yourself to do some multitasking and lots of different projects. DON’T be afraid to ask your mentor for help! that’s what they’re here for. Also, remember to always revise your work. Make sure at least three pairs of eyes read your work before you send it out to a client. And last but not least, enjoy your internship! you are learning from people who are doing what you want to do in the future, there is no better way of learning than by following the footsteps of your mentor. Take all the mental notes you can, practice your writing skills, observe, listen, and always give your best!

Meet Our Summer Interns: Brittany Blondin

Posted on 01. Jul, 2011 by

This summer we have seven new additions to our PMG family! Our interns are special to us, that’s why we want to feature them in our blog. Each week we will add a profile of an intern so you can get a sense of who they are and what they are doing here at PMG. Feel free to ask them questions and leave feedback. These interns are ready and excited to share what they have learned so far!

PMGer: Brittany Blondin
On Twitter: @brittblondin
Position at PMG: Intern with PMG associate Alicia DeMartini

Background? I’m Brittany B. (one of three Brittany’s this summer at PMG) and I’m entering into my senior year (this fall!) at Champlain College for my B.S. in Public Relations and Corporate Communication. I love connecting with new people – I always find that almost everyone has an interesting story. Some other interests include outdoor activities, shopping and trying new things (food, activities, and clothes!).

I love to plan ahead, but I’ve found that sometimes things just happen and can change your whole life. In the future, I’d love to be working in Public Relations – I haven’t decided exactly what aspect or agency/firm vs. in-house, but I’m leaning towards agency/firm (I love the thought of working with different clients). I would really love to stay in the New England area, but at this point, I’m not ruling anything out!

Why are you doing this internship? I need the experience and before I started, I was yearning the validation that I chose the correct path to follow. Thank goodness, so far, I’ve proven my choice to be the right one.

What do expect to gain from this internship? I expect to gain hands-on experience to carry with me for future jobs.

What are your views on PMG? I was extremely nervous before my first day and did not expect to learn as much as I have thus far. Looking at PMG from the outside, I only knew what they told me, that they represented socially responsible clients. Reading through the Q & A with Ken and Nicole provided some insight to their personalities and how PMG is run. After I started working here I found that they were true to their words. The environment at PMG is a well-balanced concoction of light-hearted attitudes and hard workers.

What’s it like working with your mentor? I first met my mentor, Alicia De Martini, when she came to my Principles of Public Relations class in the early spring (this year) and was immediately impressed. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that she would be my mentor for this summer internship. So far, it’s been a blast. She’s always helpful and great at giving me feedback in order to do a better job. I’m always busy, thanks to her, which has made the days I’m working fly by!

Do you have any tips for future interns on PR, writing press releases, pitches, etc.?

  • First and foremost, do your best, don’t just try. Use your time at your internship to ask questions and receive feedback from your mentor (and others). Being able to accept feedback is critical at this point because they’re trying to help you to grow into it.
  • When it comes to writing pitches, be concise, but don’t offer up too much information! Keep the pitch to the point and make sure that your subject line is amazing in order to get journalists to read it!
  • When it comes writing press releases, make sure you offer up the most important information in the beginning. Try to be creative in how you choose your words and including a quote from your client can add a lot to it.
  • With any writing (pitches, press releases, follow-up emails), revise, revise, revise! It’s ok to go through several drafts in order to reveal the perfect pitch, press release or follow-up. It’s also good to take into consideration the feedback you receive from your mentor to apply to future writings.

PMG’s Lunch Adventure

Posted on 12. Aug, 2009 by

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kqofwGvZvw]

Hello everyone, my name is Chris Garafola and I’m honored to say I’m one of PMG’s new PR Interns. I’ve only been working here for about a month and I’m already amazed at how much I’ve learned. Having the opportunity to have a hands-on learning experience is invaluable. Currently, I’m a senior at The University of Vermont and I’m majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing.

Sometimes we PMG’ers like to get together and grab a nice lunch on the town. However, since there are so many great places to eat, deciding on where to have lunch is difficult. After a few suggestions were made, my fellow Intern Joe and I decided that today would be a great day for a burger—and that’s how our lunch adventure began.

Burlington, Vermont is known to many for its rolling green mountains and Lake Champlain. Yes, it’s even reported to be the stomping grounds of Champ the iconic lake monster. Almost anyone who has heard of Burlington has also more-than- likely heard of Church Street. The cobblestoned street is the center of Burlington’s energy. Everything from nightclubs, restaurants, live music and a cone of the highly acclaimed Ben and Jerry’s can be found here. However, nestled just a couple blocks away on North Street lays a hidden treasure—and I’m not talking about gold. I’m talking about burgers! Or more notably the best burger in Vermont!

This is truly a diamond in the rough. The Shopping Bag is located in what some claim to be a “rough neighborhood”. From the outside, The Shopping Bag looked uninspiring and didn’t seem like a place worthy of “Vermont’s best Hamburger.” However, after one of my roommates ate there the day prior and described it as, “the most delicious burger I’ve ever eaten!” I felt destined to try this burger. Not to mention, Joe the intern accompanying me also happens to be one of my best friends (this is when you say “awww… how cute”).

After we mustered up enough courage to enter the store we realized it wasn’t all that bad. We found out that we needed to see the cashier after deciding what we wanted to order. After we paid, Joe and I were given a scrap piece of paper that said “Scibec Sizzler”. From there, we were informed to give this scrap paper to the grill cook. My first impression of the grill cook was that of intimidation. He was a big man who had an angry look on his face. In other words, if you were ever in a fight, you would want him on your side. However, that didn’t phase me because for some reason I saw a little twinkle in his eye which said, “I may look mean but I make a meaner burger” Once the cook grabbed our slips he disappeared in the back for a little while. At first I was confused. I didn’t know whether he was going on his break or the two swipes of Old Spice I applied in the morning didn’t do the trick. I soon learned neither was the case because he returned with two of the biggest beef patties I’ve ever seen in my life. They keep the patties in the back cooler, almost as if the burger was a brick of gold and the back was a bank vault.At this point, I arrived at the realization that I was in for the most intense burger I’ve ever eaten.

While waiting for the mammoth burger to cook I decided to wander around the store. So I’m in my own little world humming Foreigner’s Cold as Ice (I had just heard it on the radio, and you know how that goes), when I came upon an attractive poster. The poster read, “Food Network, 50 States, 50 Burgers” and on it was the best ranked burgers from each state—and guess who made the list for Vermont? If you guessed our very own Shopping Bag—you guessed right! Not only was this burger hyped up by my friends, it was given national acclaim in a praised and respected magazine. My standards were rising higher and higher as the burger sizzled on the grill. Once the half pound burger was complete (and by complete I mean grilled and topped with: dill pickles, bacon, red onion, lettuce, tomato, toasted sesame seed bun, Montreal seasoning, three slices of American cheese, mustard, ketchup and mayo) it was time to eat.

Joe and I arrived back at PMG to eat our massive burgers. The once paper bags that were holding our Sizzlers now looked like see through plastic bags from all the grease that seeped through. However, it was all worth it because this burger was A M A Z I N G! Every bite I took created a juicy mouthful of flavors that wrapped around my tongue like a kid eating his first Popsicle. I was literarily in culinary heaven. Every ingredient and topping on the burger complemented each other perfectly. The experience was great and the burger was delicious. Granted it took me 17 minutes to completely finish eating it, but it was well worth it and I plan on making an excursion back to the Shopping Bag soon for round two.

Just one more thing, if you’re planning on getting a Sizzler, plan your day ahead of time. After you eat one of these bad boys you’re not going to want to strap on the old roller blades or hit the gym. Instead, you may want to lie down and watch VH1 I love the 80s while your food coma subdues.

Square Pegs: Not Just a Sarah Jessica Parker Sitcom

Posted on 23. Jun, 2009 by

I have a window seat in the PMG office.

Okay, there’s only one desk that’s could be considered to be turned away from the windows, but that’s neither here nor there. I, the summer intern, have a window seat in the office. As a result, on occasion, I get to gaze upon the Waterfront. Or more truthfully, upon the people who are outside enjoying its splendor.

At least, some of them are. Others are parallel parking.

It’s a regular sight, people attempting to parallel park outside my window. Some succeed, some reevaluate, and some…well, some think that their Hummer is the size of a bread box. They wiggle, jiggle, and creep their way into a space that is not meant for them – it’s a little something called Square Peg Syndrome.

There’s a lot of Square Peg Syndrome in PR.

Imagine: You have a widget client – oh, what glorious widgets they produce! The bestest widgets you ever did see – plus, they’re nice people, which is always an added bonus.

The client has a dream: To reveal their latest widget on The Ubber Hip Show! Unfortunately, you know that The Ubber Hip Show doesn’t hit any of the widget’s targets and, in fact, may take away from other potentially potent placements (alliteration – love it!). But the client wants it – and they’re nice, remember?

So, you focus all of your energy on getting on The Ubber Hip Show. Days and nights of e-mails, calls, and, despite your best efforts, pleading that leads to…absolutely nothing. It’s a no-go and the widget client gets pitiable coverage on their latest and greatest invention.

And you know the sad truth? The Pretty Nifty Variety Hour, another popular show, would have hit your client’s target and their promotional dates perfectly – and you knew it, too. If only your focus wasn’t so pinpointed.

Sqaure Peg Syndrome AKA Over-targeting. It kills…your PR campaign.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some Waterfront gazing to catch up on.